Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul

Greetings,

Today the Church celebrates second chances! Chapter 22 of the Acts of the Apostles contains one of the accounts of Saul's conversion to new life as Paul. It isn't the dramatic scenes with the bright light and Christ's call that struck me today. Instead, the gentle but encouraging voice of Ananias has stayed with me.

"A certain Ananias, a devout observer of the law, and highly spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me and stood there and said, 'Saul, my brother, regain your sight.' And at that very moment I regained my sight and saw him. Then he said, 'The God of our ancestors designated you .....(St. Paul Outside the Walls, Rome)
to know His will, for you will be His witness before all to what you have seen and heard.
Now, why delay? Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away, calling upon His name.'"

Ananias knew of Saul's past persecutions, knew of Saul's work against the Church, but he also knew of Christ's power to change the hearts of others. He welcomed Paul as a witness to Christ and encouraged him to be baptized...all this support from a man who simply allowed God to give a second chance. If Saul the persecutor can become Paul the Apostle, I too can become someone new in Christ! This fits well with our Benedictine vow of Converstatio Morum (Fidelity to the Monastic Way). Within Converstatio, there is the daily opportunity to fully live the call to follow Benedict in seeking Christ. Every day is a second chance to be converted and more fully live washed and baptized in Christ. Everyday is also the opportunity to be Ananias for my sisters, co-workers, and students; to take on his role of welcoming and encouraging those who need a second chance.

Hmm...that leaves much to do this day...

Blessings and Happy Feast,

God in the Ordinary

Greetings,

Part of my life as a Benedictine sister is to seek God in the ordinary events of life in community. The daily horarium (schedule) within the monastery doesn't vary too often and it shouldn't. The repeated hours, the routines allow me to stop wondering what I should be doing or where I should be going, I know; and instead I can focus on God in the midst of those daily events. In fact, many of God's lessons have come through the daily life lived with my sisters or from the classroom with my students.

A recent lesson while I was home for our Monastic Chapter (community meetings) led me to a reflection on the Rule. "The brothers should serve one another. Consequently, no one will be excused from kitchen service unless he is sick or engaged in some important business of the monastery, for such service increases reward and fosters love" Chapter 35: 1-2. With all of the sisters home, there were interesting combinations of dishwashers, servers, and the like. Those of us who lived away from home found ourselves filling in duties for those sisters at home who were helping to organize the Chapter. There was laughter as we tried to remember where certain items were stored for meals or put dishes away into new and inventive locations, but it was also love. Love for those whose duties we shared; love for those we served.

Now that I have returned to our little convent of two...I'm trying to remember this lesson of loving service for one is loving service of my whole community.

Blessings,